


lonely

by vagarius



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble, Family, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21807886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagarius/pseuds/vagarius
Summary: "Tenma," Misumi soon asks, eyes still on the stars, "do you ever feel lonely?"
Relationships: Ikaruga Misumi & Sumeragi Tenma
Comments: 14
Kudos: 136





	lonely

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be for a3 week but i got impatient lol

Tenma isn't sure what compelled him to go outside.

The breeze from his window had been warm, he supposes. And he barely gets time to himself anymore, in such a crowded dorm. Maybe he just couldn't sleep, and stepping outside had seemed better than lying in bed at the time, staring up at nothing.

Or maybe he was meant to run into Misumi, staring up at the stars.

Tenma sits wordlessly next to him at the table in the courtyard, wondering why Misumi chose here instead of the roof, for once. Misumi doesn't stir or otherwise acknowledge him, his breathing rhythmic and near-silent. It's a version of Misumi that must belong to the night, only to be seen under the twinkling sky. Tenma isn't sure how to feel about that.

"Tenma," Misumi soon asks, eyes still on the stars, "do you ever feel lonely?"

Tenma leans his head on his hand, wondering how long it will take for this quiet version of Misumi to shatter. "I guess," he answers, honestly. He had once been a kid in a world of adults, their heads so far above him he thought he might disappear under their chins. He feels it even now, the sting under his skin from being so far away from everyone else. "More so when I was younger, I think."

"Oh," Misumi says, drawing the syllable out like taffy. His lips quirk upward, smile much too wry for Misumi's usually cheerful face. "I think I was also like Tenma. But I had Jii-chan to make it okay." Misumi blinks once more at the stars, then turns his gaze to Tenma, eyes relaxed and bright.

"Tenma," he declares, "let's be brothers."

A pause.

 _"Huh?"_ Tenma exclaims, too loud for the time of night.

Misumi leans closer. "Let's be brothers," he repeats. "That way, Tenma and I will never be lonely."

"I'm not - " Tenma starts, then thinks better of it. "We're not related in any way, you know."

A long moment passes while Misumi's face scrunches in thought. "That doesn't matter!" he eventually replies, pouting. "If Mom and Dad are allowed to stop being Mom and Dad, then Tenma and I are allowed to start being brothers!"

 _Oh,_ Tenma thinks. _So that's how it is._ Briefly, Tenma recalls the state of his own household, sparsely used in the wake of overseas trips and stage plays. But on the front table to the right of the entrance lies a bowl for his dad's keys, his mom's third favorite lipstick sitting at the bottom. And next to that is a picture of the Sumeragis that no one has ever seen but them: a simple day trip, with Tenma trying to run out of the frame while his dad scoops him up by the waist, and with his mom mid-laugh, unabashedly ugly for just that moment. They have better looking pictures together – they are all movie stars, after all – but this is the one his family keeps on display. Misumi probably isn't in any family photos to begin with.

"Tenma?" Misumi calls, and Tenma gently shakes himself from his thoughts.

"Sure," Tenma states. "You're right. Let's be brothers."

Misumi's mouth opens endearingly in surprise. "Yay!' he cheers. "Tenma is my little brother!"

"Hey! Who said I was the little brother? I'm obviously the more mature one."

"Eh?" Misumi drawls. "But Tenma is younger and cuter."

"No, I'm not!"

Misumi giggles and pats him on the head. "See? You're turning red."

 _"No_ , I'm not!" he repeats, ignoring the heat on his cheeks. _At least Misumi is happy,_ he thinks, swatting half-heartedly at Misumi's hand. _I guess I'm happy, too._

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter: @jea9yj](https://twitter.com/jea9yj)


End file.
